Monthly Archives: November 2010

First, the small incorporated town we live in (Ridgeway) is not much more than a zip code, but it’s adjacent to Martinsville…again not very big with less than 10K residents. In the middle of Ridgeway sits this rustic looking barn with smaller out buildings. When we first moved here in 2002, there was a farm house next to the barn, but a few years ago it burned and the remains were cleared, leaving the other buildings sitting all alone. As I drive to our daughters house, I pass right by this barn and told myself each time to stop and make a photo. Over Thanksgiving weekend I did just that. One thing I discovered about this barn was a nice pile of junk behind…fun to look through. So, even though we live in a rural part of Virginia, I always find something interesting to photograph.

When I saw this small sliding door on an old shed, I wanted to open it to see what’s inside. But, I elected to not do that, basically because the ghastly “spirits” inside might flow out on me and ruin an otherwise nice day. Some things are better off being left alone. Seriously, it made a nice black and white photo, with great details being captured by my Panasonic LX5 camera.

Looking through a pile of “junk” behind an old barn near where we live, I spotted this “whatever” spoked wheel device. Not sure what it once was part of, or it’s purpose, but decided to make it a part of my image library. I liked the rusty metal detail, which really came out when I added a Topaz Adjust layer in Photoshop.

Once, many products were stored and shipped in hand made barrels such as these. Steel hoops secured the wooden barrel staves, and many of these antiques remain usable today. I found these outside an old barn in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

As I was driving along this winding, narrow road in a quiet Blue Ridge valley, with the sun in front of me, I liked the way it reflected off the road, and how it made the remaining fall colors sort of shine. So, I stopped and took a couple of shots. The fact I was shooting into the sun, while using my small Lumix LX3 camera, washed out a lot of the image in the upper right. But, with some messing around in post processing, I was able to bring out more of what I actually saw.

Living in a time and place such as this seems much simpler and pleasant to me in may ways. But when you consider the hardships faced daily by those of this era, you appreciate the conveniences of a more modern lifestyle. Still…I’d like to have experienced it all. Blue Ridge Mountains in SW Virginia.

I would not want to put water in this old wooden bucket I saw hanging on an old barn in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. But, it was nice to see and to photograph. Other that that…it’s just a bucket.

Ridgeway, Virginia where we live is a stopping point for Turkey Vultures migrating with the seasons. I caught a small flock resting in a tree. Beautifully soaring flyers but not so nice to look at up close.